Photoinduced Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Decarboxylative Alkynylation with Terminal Alkynes

We describe a photoinduced copper-catalyzed asymmetric radical decarboxylative alkynylation of bench-stable N-hydroxyphthalimide(NHP)-type esters of racemic alkyl carboxylic acids with terminal alkynes, which provides a flexible platform for the construction of chiral C(sp³)−C(sp) bonds. Critical to the success of this process are not only the use of the copper catalyst as a dual photo- and cross-coupling catalyst but also tuning of the NHP-type esters to inhibit the facile homodimerization of the alkyl radical and terminal alkyne, respectively. Owing to the use of stable and easily available NHP-type esters, the reaction features a broader substrate scope compared with reactions using the alkyl halide counterparts, covering (hetero)benzyl-, allyl-, and aminocarbonyl-substituted carboxylic acid derivatives, and (hetero)aryl and alkyl as well as silyl alkynes, thus providing a vital complementary approach to the previously reported method.     

Copper-catalysed photoinduced decarboxylative alkynylation: a combined experimental and computational study

Redox-active esters (RAEs) as alkyl radical precursors have demonstrated great advantages for C–C bond formation. A decarboxylative cross-coupling method is described to afford substituted alkynes from various carboxylic acids using copper catalysts CuCl and Cu(acac)₂. The photoexcitation of copper acetylides with electron-rich NEt₃ as a ligand provides a general strategy to generate a range of alkyl radicals from RAEs of carboxylic acids, which can be readily coupled with a variety of aromatic alkynes. The scope of this cross-coupling reaction can be further expanded to aliphatic alkynes and alkynyl silanes using a catalytic amount of preformed copper-phenylacetylide. In addition, DFT calculations revealed the favorable reaction pathway and that the bidentate acetylacetonate ligand of the copper intermediate plays an important role in inhibiting the homo-coupling of the alkyne.

Redox-active esters (RAEs) as alkyl radical precursors have demonstrated great advantages for Cu-catalysed C–C bond formation.     

Ketones from Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative,Non‐Symmetric Cross‐Electrophile Coupling of Carboxylic Acid Esters

Synthesis of the C?C bonds of ketones relies upon one high‐availability reagent (carboxylic acids) and one low‐availability reagent (organometallic reagents or alkyl iodides). We demonstrate here a ketone synthesis that couples two different carboxylic acid esters, N‐hydroxyphthalimide esters and S‐2‐pyridyl thioesters, to form aryl alkyl and dialkyl ketones in high yields. The keys to this approach are the use of a nickel catalyst with an electron‐poor bipyridine or terpyridine ligand, a THF/DMA mixed solvent system, and ZnCl₂ to enhance the reactivity of the NHP ester. The resulting reaction can be used to form ketones that have previously been difficult to access, such as hindered tertiary/tertiary ketones with strained rings and ketones with α‐heteroatoms. The conditions can be employed in the coupling of complex fragments, including a 20‐mer peptide fragment analog of Exendin(9–39) on solid support.     

Ketones from Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative,Non‐Symmetric Cross‐Electrophile Coupling of Carboxylic Acid Esters

Synthesis of the C?C bonds of ketones relies upon one high‐availability reagent (carboxylic acids) and one low‐availability reagent (organometallic reagents or alkyl iodides). We demonstrate here a ketone synthesis that couples two different carboxylic acid esters, N‐hydroxyphthalimide esters and S‐2‐pyridyl thioesters, to form aryl alkyl and dialkyl ketones in high yields. The keys to this approach are the use of a nickel catalyst with an electron‐poor bipyridine or terpyridine ligand, a THF/DMA mixed solvent system, and ZnCl₂ to enhance the reactivity of the NHP ester. The resulting reaction can be used to form ketones that have previously been difficult to access, such as hindered tertiary/tertiary ketones with strained rings and ketones with α‐heteroatoms. The conditions can be employed in the coupling of complex fragments, including a 20‐mer peptide fragment analog of Exendin(9–39) on solid support.     

Cationic ruthenium complex of the formula [RuCl(2,6-diacetylpyridine)(PPh3)2]BArF and its catalytic activity in the formation of enol esters

A new ruthenium 2,6-diacetylpyridine complex was synthesized and applied in the atom-economic synthesis of enol esters through Markovnikov-directed addition of carboxylic acids to terminal alkynes. The ruthenium complex [RuCl(dap)(PPh₃)₂]⁺BArF^? was synthesized from [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₂] and the corresponding ligand 2,6-diacetylpyridine (dap). The complex was characterized structurally. The new ruthenium complex was utilized under ambient conditions as a catalyst in the Markovnikov addition of carboxylic acids to terminal alkynes to afford the corresponding enol esters in 93% to 52% isolated yields (85?°C, 16?h reaction time, 1?mol% catalyst loading).     

Temperature‐Selective Dual Radical Generation from Alkyl Diiodide: Applications to Synthesis of Asymmetric CABC Multi‐Block Copolymers and Their Unique Assembly Structures

Temperature‐selective radical generation from a newly designed alkyl diiodide (I?R²?R¹?I) was studied. R¹?I and I?R² had different reactivities for generating alkyl radicals in the presence of a tetraoctylammonium iodide (ONI) catalyst. Taking advantage of the temperature selectivity, we used the alkyl diiodide as a dual initiator in ONI‐catalyzed living radical polymerization to uniquely synthesize CABC non‐symmetric multi‐block copolymers. Because of their non‐symmetric structure, CABC multi‐block copolymers form unique assemblies, that is, Janus‐type particles with hetero‐segment coronas and flower‐like particles with hetero‐segment petals.     

Synthesis of enol and vinyl esters catalyzed by an iridium complex

Enol and vinyl esters were successfully synthesized by the use of an iridium complex as a catalyst. The reaction of carboxylic acids with terminal alkynes in the presence of catalytic amounts of [Ir(cod)Cl]₂ and Na₂CO₃ gave the corresponding 1-alkenyl esters. The addition of carboxylic acids to alkynes principally took place in the Markovnikov fashion. In addition, by the use of an Ir complex combined with NaOAc various vinyl esters were prepared through the transvinylation between carboxylic acids and vinyl acetate.     

Highly modulated bisindoles: ligands for copper‐catalyzed Sonogashira reaction

Bisindoles (BIMs) were modulated as powerful N,N′ donor ligands for the copper‐catalyzed Sonogashira reaction. Ligand screening experiments on 11 BIM compounds found that 3,3′‐(4‐chlorophenyl)methylenebis(1‐methyl‐1H‐indole) (10%) efficiently accelerated CuCl (5%)‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of aryl iodides with terminal alkynes. A wide range of substituted aryl iodides and/or alkyl‐ and aryl‐substituted terminal alkynes were examined, leading to the corresponding coupling products with yields up to 99%. An efficient and scalable protocol for the synthesis of BIM ligands on a gram scale, with extremely low catalyst loading of o‐ClC₆H₄NH₃⁺Cl^?, was also developed with a reaction time of 20 min with yields up to 93%. This novel N,N′ ligand was air‐stable, easily available and highly modulated with low copper loading. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carboxylation Reactions with Carbon Dioxide Using N‐Heterocyclic Carbene‐Copper Catalysts

The development of versatile catalyst systems and new transformations for the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is of great interest and significance. This Personal Account reviews our studies on the exploration of the reactions of CO₂ with various substrates by the use of N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)‐copper catalysts. The carboxylation of organoboron compounds gave access to a wide range of carboxylic acids with excellent functional group tolerance. The C?H bond carboxylation with CO₂ emerged as a straightforward protocol for the preparation of a series of aromatic carboxylic esters and butenoates from simple substrates. The hydrosilylation of CO₂ with hydrosilanes provided an efficient method for the synthesis of silyl formate on gram scale. The hydrogenative or alkylative carboxylation of alkynes, ynamides and allenamides yielded useful α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids and α,β‐dehydro amino acid esters. The boracarboxylation of alkynes or aldehydes afforded the novel lithium cyclic boralactone or boracarbonate products, respectively. The NHC‐copper catalysts generally featured excellent functional group compatibility, broad substrate scope, high efficiency, and high regio‐ and stereoselectivity. The unique electronic and steric properties of the NHC‐copper units also enabled the isolation and structural characterization of some key intermediates for better understanding of the catalytic reaction mechanisms.     

Immobilized copper(II) on nitrogen‐rich polymer‐entrapped Fe3O4 nanoparticles: a highly loaded and magnetically recoverable catalyst for aqueous click chemistry

A heterogeneous magnetic copper catalyst was prepared via anchoring of copper sulfate onto multi‐layered poly(2‐dimethylaminoethyl acrylamide)‐coated magnetic nanoparticles and was characterized using various techniques. The catalyst was found to be active, effective and selective for one‐pot three‐component reaction of alkyl halide, sodium azide and alkyne, known as copper‐catalyzed click synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles. As little as 0.3 mol% of catalyst was found to be effective under the optimum conditions. The catalyst could also be recycled and reused up to seven times without significant loss of activity. Thermal stability, high loading level of copper on catalyst, broad diversity of alkyl/benzyl/allyl bromide/chloride and alkyl/aryl terminal alkynes without isolation of azide intermediate, and good to excellent yields of products make this procedure highly economical. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Lewis Base Catalysis Approach for the Photoredox Activation of Boronic Acids and Esters

We report herein the use of a dual catalytic system comprising a Lewis base catalyst such as quinuclidin‐3‐ol or 4‐dimethylaminopyridine and a photoredox catalyst to generate carbon radicals from either boronic acids or esters. This system enabled a wide range of alkyl boronic esters and aryl or alkyl boronic acids to react with electron‐deficient olefins via radical addition to efficiently form C−C coupled products in a redox‐neutral fashion. The Lewis base catalyst was shown to form a redox‐active complex with either the boronic esters or the trimeric form of the boronic acids (boroxines) in solution.     

Decarboxylative C(sp3)−O Cross‐Coupling

Alkyl aryl ethers are an important class of compounds in medicinal and agricultural chemistry. Catalytic C(sp³)?O cross‐coupling of alkyl electrophiles with phenols is an unexplored disconnection strategy to the synthesis of alkyl aryl ethers, with the potential to overcome some of the major limitations of existing methods such as C(sp²)?O cross‐coupling and S_N2 reactions. Reported here is a tandem photoredox and copper catalysis to achieve decarboxylative C(sp³)?O coupling of alkyl N‐hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) esters with phenols under mild reaction conditions. This method was used to synthesize a diverse set of alkyl aryl ethers using readily available alkyl carboxylic acids, including many natural products and drug molecules. Complementarity in scope and functional‐group tolerance to existing methods was demonstrated.     

Enantiospecific Alkynylation of Alkylboronic Esters

Enantioenriched secondary and tertiary alkyl pinacolboronic esters undergo enantiospecific deborylative alkynylation through a Zweifel‐type alkenylation followed by a 1,2‐elimination reaction. The process involves use of α‐lithio vinyl bromide or vinyl carbamate species, for which application to Zweifel‐type reactions has not previously been explored. The resulting functionalized 1,1‐disubstituted alkenes undergo facile base‐mediated elimination to generate terminal alkyne products in high yield and excellent levels of enantiospecificity over a wide range of pinacolboronic ester substrates. Furthermore, along with terminal alkynes, internal and silyl‐protected alkynes can be formed by simply introducing a suitable carbon‐ or silicon‐based electrophile after the base‐mediated 1,2‐elimination reaction.     

Rhodium(III)/Copper(II)‐Promoted trans‐Selective Heteroaryl Acyloxylation of Alkynes: Stereodefined Access to trans‐Enol Esters

Enol esters are versatile synthetic building blocks which can be elaborated by a wide variety of transformations. The classical synthesis by O‐selective enolate acylation often hampers control of the E/Z selectivity with highly substituted substrates. A rhodium(III)/copper(II)‐mediated process is reported to provide tetrasubstituted enol esters in a trans‐selective fashion. Overall, the reaction consists of a heteroaryl acyloxylation of alkynes. The process is initiated by a rhodium(III)‐catalyzed C2‐selective activation of electron‐rich heteroarenes, such as benzofuran, furan, and thiophene. Upon addition across an alkyne, a transmetalation to copper(II) enables reductive C? O bond formation. The transformation allows the three‐component couplings of heteroarenes, alkynes, and carboxylic acids. Application of the method in the functionalization of bioactive furocoumarin natural products is also described.     

Copper‐Catalyzed N‐Arylation of Polysubstituted Pyridines Synthesized by the Novel Reaction of N‐Sulfonyl Ketenimine and Malononitrile‐Trichloroacetonitrile Adduct

In this study, we synthesized some new derivatives of N‐(4‐amino‐5‐cyano‐6‐(trichloromethyl)pyridin‐2‐yl)alkyl sulfonamides in the presence of a copper catalyst. A one‐pot reaction system was used, and four components participated in the process. These four components were sulfonyl azides, terminal alkynes, malononitrile, and trichloroacetonitrile. The reaction rate was increased by the use of copper (I) iodide as the catalyst and tetrahydrofuran was used as the solvent. We achieved the final compounds in moderate to good yields. Moreover, we converted “NH₂” side group to N‐aryl by the use of various aryl halide analogs in acetonitrile as the solvent, under mild reaction and at the room temperature.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative Radical Silylation of Redox‐Active Aliphatic Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

A decarboxylative silylation of aliphatic N ‐hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) esters using Si−B reagents as silicon pronucleophiles is reported. This C(sp³)−Si cross‐coupling is catalyzed by copper(I) and follows a radical mechanism, even with exclusion of light. Both primary and secondary alkyl groups couple effectively, whereas tertiary alkyl groups are probably too sterically hindered. The functional‐group tolerance is generally excellent, and α‐heteroatom‐substituted substrates also participate well. This enables, for example, the synthesis of α‐silylated amines starting from NHPI esters derived from α‐amino acids. The new method extends the still limited number of C(sp³)−Si cross‐couplings of unactivated alkyl electrophiles.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Three‐Component Carboazidation of Alkenes with Acetonitrile and Sodium Azide

A copper‐catalyzed three‐component reaction of alkenes, acetonitrile, and sodium azide afforded γ‐azido alkyl nitriles by formation of one C(sp³)−C(sp³) bond and one C(sp³)−N bond. The transformation allows concomitant introduction of two highly versatile groups (CN and N₃) across the double bond. A sequence involving the copper‐mediated generation of a cyanomethyl radical and its subsequent addition to an alkene, and a C(sp³)−N bond formation accounted for the reaction outcome. The resulting γ‐azido alkyl nitrile can be easily converted into 1,4‐diamines, γ‐amino nitriles, γ‐azido esters, and γ‐lactams of significant synthetic value.     

Regioselective Hydroalkylation and Arylalkylation of Alkynes by Photoredox/Nickel Dual Catalysis: Application and Mechanism

Alkynes are an important class of organic molecules due to their utility as versatile building blocks in synthesis. Although efforts have been devoted to the difunctionalization of alkynes, general and practical strategies for the direct hydroalkylation and alkylarylation of terminal alkynes under mild reaction conditions are less explored. Herein, we report a photoredox/nickel dual‐catalyzed anti‐Markovnikov‐type hydroalkylation of terminal alkynes as well as a one‐pot arylalkylation of alkynes with alkyl carboxylic acids and aryl bromides via a three‐component cross‐coupling. The results indicate that the transformations proceed via a new mechanism involving a single‐electron transfer with subsequent energy‐transfer activation pathways. Moreover, steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence‐spectroscopy measurements, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and wavefunction analysis have been performed to give an insight into the catalytic cycle.     

A copper-based catalytic system for carboxylation of terminal alkynes: synthesis of alkyl 2-alkynoates

An efficient coupling of terminal alkynes and CO(2) in the presence of alkyl halides can be achieved under ambient conditions using a copper/phosphine catalyst system, providing facile access to a variety of functionalised alkyl 2-alkynoates.     

Silver(I)‐Catalyzed Tandem 1,3‐Acyloxy Migration/Mannich‐type Addition/Elimination of the Sulfonyl Group of N‐Sulfonylhydrazone‐propargylic Esters to 5,6‐Dihydropyridazin‐4‐one Derivatives

The addition of nucleophiles to C?N bonds offers a highly efficient synthetic strategy for accessing nitrogen‐containing molecules. 1 Among the well‐developed addition reactions, such as the highly efficient Mannich reaction, various C? H bond‐activated compounds including carboxylic acid derivatives, nitroalkanes, and terminal alkynes have been applied as nucleophiles to achieve different classes of amines. 2 However, employing new nucleophiles without activated C? H bonds, such as internal alkynes and allenic esters are limited when using metal catalysts. 3 Herein, we wish to report a new addition of allenic esters to C?N bonds initiated by a silver‐catalyzed 1,3‐migration of propargylic esters.